Thursday, January 27, 2011

Hearts are one of my favorite shapes. (Do you have a favorite shape?) I made my heart quilt top several years ago. This quilt top was mostly playing with color and fabrics that I love but wouldn't usually decorate with or wear. The hearts are 'fabric fused' on, not appliqued. I appliqued one block and decided - no way, I will never finish this project if I try to applique on all the hearts. I framed the finished top (so that I didn't have to quilt and bind the top), and I hang it on the wall around this time of year (Valentines Day). The quilt dimensions are 20 inches by 28 inches.

My Heart Quilt Top

Before I had children, I used to get quilt magazines, go to quilt shows, and actually occasionally piece and quilt. I started far more quilts then I have finished, and some have become UFO's - UnFinished Objects that I have no desire to finish, and yet do not want to toss. Many of my UFO's got bogged down at the quilt and bind stage of the process. After I had children, I decided to try smaller projects, and now I have four beautiful wall quilt tops that I love but dread quilting and binding. This heart quilt is the one I will share today.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

I feel like this is my big reveal - I finally get to display my blue and white china in the china hutch I bought back in July. After the Christmas decorations were put away, I started 'finding' my scattered collection of blue and white china. I haven't gathered together my blue and white china and looked it over, ever. Since I didn't have the space to display it, I kept it packed in various places, even as I added to the collection.

This display is eclectic and disorganized, to say the least. I will get more proficient at displaying china in my hutch as the years go on. Right now, I guess I am using the hutch as a leisurely way to sort and catalog my china collection. Seeing what I have, so to speak. With four children, and a patient husband who would prefer less clutter, I have been keeping my china well out of the way (and out of sight!) The husband can't complain about 'too much china' if it is stashed in out of the way corners of the basement.

China Hutch

The middle row has some of my favorite china, including my authentic "flow blue" china. I'd love to be able to display an entire cabinet of flow blue, but for now I am happy to see the handful of pieces I have. I think I will catalog (and blog?) my flow blue pieces on a different day.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

I have loved china since before I picked out a china pattern as a bride many years ago. This strange love would have me window shopping the china sections of department stores for years after I was married, enjoying the many patterns that were out of my price range, and knowing I would have a hard time choosing just one anyway. My everyday tableware? The versatile and hardy "Just White" by Corelle. I used this daily, for over 20 years...

I started collecting china at rummage sales. I would see lone plates and buy them. (I guess I started collecting china for future china hutch displays and table scaping, which I hadn't yet heard of, but at the time I told myself - "Maybe I will use this plate for mosaics." It gave me an excuse to collect china I liked.) I would buy teacups and saucers, even though I don't drink tea. I would buy broken and chipped china and glued together china also, spare saucers without a cup, etc. After a while, I even went to some antique dealers and arranged to buy broken and chipped china that they wouldn't usually sell. These dealers, too, had a hard time throwing out beautiful pieces of china. I got my first pieces of flow blue china as broken plates from an antique dealer.

I made some stepping stones for outside, a couple of trivets, and then I really wanted to use my broken flow blue china, so I made the frame shown. This mosaic frame square is 10.5" wide x 10.5" high, framing a square 3.5" x 3.5" mirror. (Does anyone else recognize this as an IKEA frame?) Even the sides of the frame have mosaic china edging.

Mosaic Mirror

I may never have china of this caliber to work with again, which is why this is my favorite mosaic creation to date. This mirror is a delight to my eye - eye candy for the wall.

The china pieces in this mosaic frame include:

"Astoria" Flow Blue pattern (one of my favorites)

"Kelvin" Flow blue pattern

3+ different Blue Willow sources.

A Japanese version of blue onion china.

The Astoria and Kelvin china sources were cracked, chipped or damaged to the point of not being salable by the antique dealers who are my source for great china. "Faux flow blue blue willow" patterns were also used. (I like saying that, but my husband doesn't get why that is funny. Is it funny to any of you blog readers?)

No historically important china pieces were harmed in the creation of this frame, which hangs in my bedroom. :)

This type of ceramic mosiac work (using china) is sometimes called Pique Assiette.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Today I wanted to share my favorite Angel stained glass window. This blue angel window measures about 16 inches by 24 inches and was created in the early 1980's by my husband's mother, Marion Grisa.

Glass Detail

Marion Grisa (1925 - 1986), was a artist in many mediums, including fiber, stained glass, painting and sculpture. I don't actually know how many stained glass windows she made, but she made at least nine stained glass windows for Heritage Presbyterian Church in Muskego, Wisconsin, as well as at least two other smaller windows. The two small windows she gave as gifts, one to her mother and one to her cousin. These small windows have traveled on as family heirlooms, one to my husband, Carl Grisa.

This Christmas I hung the angel window in my living room window for the Christmas season. After the holidays are over, I think I will move the Angel window to somewhere more permanent, probably in the dining room. I'm pretty sure I've decided that this little angel should shine on for more then just the holidays.

(How is this a Metamorphis Monday post? This window was taken out of storage and hasn't hung in the house for years. I was worried the children might break it. I think that counts...)

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About Me

I am an artist and photographer and a voracious reader. I'm also the mom to 4 active teenagers.
In previous years I have spent a lot of time on my photography business, Selep Imaging, but now I am concentrating more on artistic endeavors and keeping my sanity.
I am loving exploring antiques, quilting, decorating and photography. I find sharing with people with similar interests in blog-land very rewarding - Seasonal decorating has become so much fun with an appreciative audience. I get so many ideas from the online community, and I hope I contribute some too.